Fuji XE2 body only or XE1 + 18-55mm

teefin1

Regular
Finding it hard to choose as both the same price.

I prefer XTrans 1 sensor, but like the idea of the improvements on the XE2 (low light AF mostly). But, I consider that's it might be better to invest in the older body with lens.

Which would you choose?
 
Finding it hard to choose as both the same price.

I prefer XTrans 1 sensor, but like the idea of the improvements on the XE2 (low light AF mostly). But, I consider that's it might be better to invest in the older body with lens.

Which would you choose?

I'd go with the X-e2....better viewfinder, faster AF, wifi....
 
I cannot believe how cheap the XE1 has gotten. And given that i WANT one of those kit zooms so badly... it's very hard to resist.

Exactly the reasoning that led me here. my brain was fairly set on a more current iteration prior to this kind of pricing. basically the camera is a freebie :D
 
Hi All -new here- FWIW I just went through similar dilemma last 2 weeks - prices not quite so hot down here but I have converted over from Nikon D7100 to a Fujifilm X-E2 a few days ago (I ended up getting as-new second hand 35mm f/1.4 and 60mm Macro f/2.4 lens with the body). I spent 2 weeks processing the whole logic of buying the cheap X-E1 kit to get the 18-55mm lens (with the plan to replace the X-E1 with the X-E3 or an X-T2 or such next year but in the end decided it was better to go the E2 up front and buy the lens separately later if I needed it!

One thing that finally convinced me the X-E2 improvements were more than just a small upgrade and made the E2 much more desirable was this blog post from a photographer here in NZ: The Fujifilm X-E2: Evolution or Revolution?

Just my 2c FWIW. :)
 
Hi,

Thanks for the link, I am going to pop over and read that now.

Im actually having a crazy moment, and contemplating selling one D800 body and picking up a more current X body (E2/T1) with the 35mm + 56mm. Stupid you think??

I love the D800 but I do miss the EVF and more accurate focus of MILC, plus of course the live view is a great bonus, but Im not sure how well two different systems stack up in tandem.
 
Oof, that's a loaded question. Hard to say if you'd enjoy going back and forth. Neither of those lenses (35 and 56) are the fastest focusing speeds of Fuji's lineup. Neither are dogs, but neither is going to compete with DSLR lenses for sports etc.Only Olympus (M4/3) or Nikon's V/J series seems to really compete at THAT level. In other words, this depends HEAVILY on your expectations. Make sense? The lenses are stunning, and both the XE2 and XT1 are great, intuitive tools that most people pick up and love pretty quickly. The few who don't tend to be coming from pro-level DSLR gear, imho.
 
Oof, that's a loaded question. Hard to say if you'd enjoy going back and forth. Neither of those lenses (35 and 56) are the fastest focusing speeds of Fuji's lineup.

Out of curiosity what's currently considered the fastest of the FX lenses for focus?

Teefin1 - FWIW - I was looking for the kit 18-55 as my initial lens as a general purpose unit while I learnt the camera but as I picked up the 35 & 60 Macro second hand I won't bother with the 18-55 now - don't think I'll ever need it... Anyway I didn't want to randomly grab a longer lens (like the 56) until I needed the length - as I might end up wanting something longer, or never need it... :) But if you've shot heaps with your 800 you'll know what focal lengths you like (to suit your style)...

FYI - I'm a fast glass addict - so I may end up getting the 23mm or something else short with lowest f stop and not even need/use the 35 much anymore after that! ;)
 
It is certainly some thing to contemplate Kyle. I have dogs, and (lots of) children, though I used to have an XPRO1 and 35mm before heading over to Nikon for semi-pro work. I found it to be fantastic, and as much as its nice to have D800's, for things like day trips to the zoo or a family gathering etc it can be cumbersome and tiring to lug around with small kids in tow. So its somewhat of a dichotomy.

In terms of lenses my better Nikon lenses are the 24-70 and 180mm F2.8 so the 56mm on crop sensor would fit well. or perhaps the 60mm macro, as I don't have a macro in Nikon mount, but having tried that out on the XPro, it really was slow as molasses. Maybe thats changed?
 
60mm Macro: I've heard things improved a tiny bit with firmware, but not radically, so honestly there's little use for that 60 now that the 56 exists, and is so wonderful. There are also now macro extensions that really put that last nail in the coffin of the poor 60.

"What are considered the fastest focusing Fuji lenses?" - I generally read that the 14 (which I own) is perhaps the fastest, along with the newest zooms (18-135, 16-55, 50-140?). Personally I find the 35 to be perfectly fine, albeit "noisy" compared to the others. I like the little shuffling noise it makes, and I find the AF performance perfectly fine 95% of the time. And when it isn't, well, that's why I got the XT1 and its enormous EVF and focusing aids. When I borrowed the 18-55 kit zoom from a friend for a 5 week vacation, I nearly had a heart attack when I first started focusing with it. It is SILENT, and FAST, compared to what I was used to. It can be fooled once in awhile (what lens can't), but nothing moves on the lens when it focuses (unlike the 35, which extends and retracts slightly), and the little internal motors just do their job so quickly and quietly that it was like I blinked and POOF it was in focus. I'm still very impressed with the AF on the 18-55.

On being hooked on fast glass - I'm with you, much to my wallet's chagrin. So the 23 and/or the 35 would be your everday walkaround lenses, depending on your preferred length. And if you can swing the $, the 56 is of course a stunning, epic piece of glass. Having said that, OIS on the 18-55 makes the 2.8 at the wide end really formidable unless your subject is dancing in the dark. I wrestle constantly with the 18-55 vs all the other new options. None of them have its speed AND OIS. It's one or the other. I wind up being unable to convince myself to shell out for the 16-55 constant 2.8 zoom, because I don't really care about weather resistance, but I DO care about shutter speed. In summary, the 18-55 is improbably, amazingly still the most compelling "do it all" lens Fuji makes, for me. I am, in fact, thinking very hard about trading my 14 lens for one straight-up.
 
In terms of lenses my better Nikon lenses are the 24-70 and 180mm F2.8...

FWIW on a side note (sorry don't mean to hi-jack thread) my main walk around lens on my Nikon D7100 was the 17-55mm f.2.8, backed up by the Tokina 11-16mm for wide angle work. Both pretty sharp and fast - but think the Tokina had an edge on sharpness. Also had/have the 105mm Micro and a Tamron 70-300mm zoom which got very occasional work. And the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Prime (the most recent AF version) for night shots and odd portraits. My older walk around Nikon 18-200mm lens hasn't been out for about 4 years, and I had long since sold off the other Nikon 'kit lenses' I had 18-70mm (D70) and 18-105mm (D90) - do regret possibly not keeping the former! Anyway - replicating my main use I had been originally thinking the Fuji 18-55 as a rough equivalent replacement for my beloved Nikon 17-55, possibly the 60 to replace the Nikon 105 (for macro work) not being aware of the 56's rating as per KR above), and then possibly an ultra-wide (14mm?) and/or a long zoom (50-140 or such) if needed. Getting the 35 & 60 second hand (as new) for a good price when I got my X-E2 has kinda changed that loose roadmap - and KR has put the cat amongst the pigeons abit too (above)...

TF1 - back on your topic - I still think X-E2 is way to go - you may still not really need the 18-55 and the E2 is from what I have seen first hand with my unit and also read a significant step up improvement from the E1. BTW I can't get over the sharpness and 3-dimensional depth to the rough test images I've taken with the E2 just playing around the last couple of nights - even in low-light (e.g. photographing the contents of my computer desk hand held at night and just under the room lighting which is just a couple of those spiral-style energy saver fluorescent bulbs).

P.S. Thanks KR for the lenses comments - very useful & helpful.
 
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